House and Senate members ignored Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s plea to act on his education reform package during Tuesday’s two-minute technical session — the first time lawmakers have met since overriding the governor’s education funding veto, even though only five attended.
JUNEAU, Alaska - House and Senate members ignored Gov. Mike Dunleavy ’s plea to act on his education reform package during Tuesday’s two-minute technical session — the first time lawmakers have met since “Mr.
Speaker,” House Majority Leader Chuck Kopp, R-Anchorage, said behind rows of empty seats in the House’s chamber. “I move and ask unanimous consent that the House stand in adjournment until Sunday, Aug. 31, at 10 a.m. for a technical session.” Tuesday’s meeting was a technical session, something that Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau — who was not inside the Senate chambers Tuesday — described as a meeting set to “satisfy the constitution’s requirement that neither body of the legislature can recess for more than three days without the whole legislature passing a concurrent resolution to allow it.” Few legislators were present Tuesday. Only Kopp, R-Anchorage, House Speaker Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, Rep. Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla, Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, and Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, were seen during live coverage on KTOO’s Gavel Alaska. Alaska’s News Source reached out for comment to the members present Tuesday for updates on where the special session currently stands. None immediately returned requests.. “And we had to do what we had to do in terms of allowing members to go back home, go back to their districts, not being Juneau, drawing per diem, costing the state money — with the stated intention, of course, of looking at the governor’s bills, continuing to consider the governor’s bills and the subject matter next session, as we started to do last session.” Three bills still stand in the special session; all are focused on the governor’s definition of education reform. But while talking to media, he’s been “It’s disappointing that the legislature is choosing the kick the can down the road,” a statement from the governor’s spokesperson Jeff Turner said Tuesday. “The longer the legislature waits to pass meaningful education reform, the more Alaskan children will pass through an education system in which too many Alaskan students are not learning the skills necessary for future success in school and life beyond the classroom,” Turner went on to say.“Waiting for the legislature to meet and hear those bills in the special session,” he said. “Hasn’t happened yet. Not sure if it’s going to.”expands enrollment options and authorizes the State Board of Education and Early Development to approve charter schools. It also creates an after-school literacy tutoring grant program and provides “recruitment and retention incentives” for teachers.extends tax credits to qualifying contributions to create a “durable funding stream” for tribal-compact schools afforded under HB and SB 1002. The next time these items will be formally discussed by legislators will be on Aug. 25, when the task force on education funding meets for the first time in Anchorage. The governor’s executive order creating a state department of agriculture is also still pending discussion, which the legislature said through letters to the governor that they would not discuss due to — what they say — are constitutional objections.“Unless the Legislature convenes in joint session to disapprove the Executive Order ... I will consider it to have become law at the close of the special session and proceed accordingly,” the governor said in a letter responding to the leaders.” In the meantime, the legislature will count down the clock until the end of the month with the threat of multiple special sessions hanging just above the encroaching horizon.“I will always reserve the tools afforded to me by the Constitution of Alaska to get policy done and to move the state forward,” he added. “So, we’ll see what happens.”LIVE: Evacuation orders dropped after Mendenhall River reaches record flood levelsAlaska’s role unclear as Trump plans for future summits with Zelenskyy and Putin
Governor Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy Chuck Kopp Cathy Giessel Bryce Edgmon
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